Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller (/ˈwaɪsmʌlər/; born Johann Peter Weißmüller [ˈʋaɪ̯smʏlɐ]; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. He set world records alongside winning five gold medals in the Olympics. He won the 100m freestyle and the 4 × 200 m relay team event in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Weissmuller also won gold in the 400m freestyle, as well as a bronze medal in the water polo competition in Paris.
Johnny Weissmuller | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Weissmuller c. 1940s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Johann Peter Weißmüller June 2, 1904 Szabadfalva, Kingdom of Hungary (today Freidorf, Romania) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | January 20, 1984 (aged 79) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1929–1976 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouses | Bobbe Arnst
(m. 1931; div. 1933)Lupe Vélez
(m. 1933; div. 1939)Beryl Scott
(m. 1939; div. 1948)Allene Gates
(m. 1948; div. 1962)Maria Gertrude Baumann
(m. 1963) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming, water polo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Illinois Athletic Club William Bachrach, Coach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Following his retirement from swimming, Weissmuller played Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan in twelve feature films from 1932 to 1948; six were produced by MGM, and six additional films by RKO. Weissmuller went on to star in sixteen Jungle Jim movies over an eight year period, then filmed 26 additional half-hour episodes of the Jungle Jim TV series.